Active out-of-sequence thrust faulting in the central Nepalese Himalaya

Recent convergence between India and Eurasia is commonly assumed to be accommodated mainly along a single fault - the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) - which reaches the surface in the Siwalik Hills of southern Nepal^1-3. Although this model is consistent with geodetic^4,5, geomorphic ⁶ and microseismic data⁷, an alternative model incorporating slip on more northerly surface faults has been proposed to be consistent with these data as well^8-10. Here we present in situ cosmogenic ¹⁰Be data indicating a fourfold increase in millennial timescale erosion rates occurring over a distance of less than 2 km in central Nepal, delineating for the first time an active thrust fault nearly 100 km north of the surface expression of the MHT. These data challenge the view that rock uplift gradients in central Nepal reflect only passive transport over a ramp in the MHT. Instead, when combined with previously reported ⁴⁰Ar- ³⁹Ar data⁹, our results indicate persistent exhumation above deep-seated, surface-breaking structures at the foot of the high Himalaya. These results suggest that strong dynamic interactions between climate, erosion and tectonics have maintained a locus of active deformation well to the north of the Himalayan deformation front.